Coconut Hill Cottage 06/25/2008Reviewers Rating: Excellent
If there were the option at giving this cottage 10 stars, i would. Coconut Hill was amazing.

Eric and i arrived into st.thomas around 9pm May 2, 2008 and had to take the 10pm ferry over to cruz bay. we had been in touch with Sue and Bob all day as we had several late departures and such. I was highly impressed with the fact that they had waited up for us and were willing to drive us over to our cottage. Sue called and offered to pick up our rental jeep and have it waiting on us. From the second we were in the USVI this sort of hospitality from Sue and Bob was outstanding. We arrived in Cruze Bay around 11pm and met the most wonderful couple, Sue and Bob DeBonis. Our jeep was there and waiting for us to begin our trek east. I had to go to the restroom so bad at this point and Bob drove us to his office so that i could use the facilities. We knew that this was going to be a perfect week with a wonderful couple. They then drove us over to the Dolphin Market to pick up some necessities for the night. After that we headed over to coral bay. I am so thankful that Sue and Bod escorted us to Coconut Hill that first night b/c the drive up bordeaux mtn can be tricky in the dark when you are used to driving on flat land lol. They were very thoughtful in doing this for us. luckily they live in the home next door to coconut hill so it was convenient for them as well.

I had called sue two days before our trip to st.john and asked her to do something special for our arrival. it was my boyfriends mid-tour leave from iraq and i wanted something special. She and Bob had placed flicker candles all over the villa with a romance basket (champagne, chocolate, strawberries, etc.) in the fridge, rose petals on the bed, and a note that i had forwarded on to Sue to have printed out. PERFECT. They went above and beyond the call of duty. What wonderful hosts! When we arrived the villa was lit by candles and looked even more perfect that we could have imagined.

The first thing we noticed was PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY. The lush vegitation serves as a wall and sound barrier. we never saw anyone else (other than sue and bob when we needed them), or heard anyone else. so extremely private!!!

The main floor is complete with a huge living space, kitchen, full bath, screened in porch (with dining area), and loft.

The living space is so perfect and very clean and nicely decorated. There is a huge entertainment center equipped with a plethera of CD's (Bob Marley was our choice for the week). Sue and Bob have put together two three ring binders filled with activities, restaurants, rental places, etc. We used this everyday. They have prepared newcomers with every bit of information you could want about the island and we thoroughly appreciated it. There are also tons and tons of books on the island..."st.john off the beaten path," "the beaches of st.john," to name a few that we used as our bibles. Also There are trail maps and island maps pretty much everywhere. On top of all of this provided information, Sue had sent me a welcome package approx 2 weeks or so before our trip with brochures and maps. Have i mentioned yet that she is amazing?

The kitchen area is immaculate. All new stainless steel appliances with any and everything you need in a home away from home. There were plenty of dinner plates, silverware, pitchers, tupperware, cooking utensils, glassware, etc. and they were all top of the line quality also. (if you need cooking spices pick those up at the market). I can't think of one thing we needed that we didn't have.

There is a full bath on the main floor which is also well equipped with everything. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, handsoap, towels, washcloths, etc. It was very clean and well kept. The shower is made out of a smooth brick looking tile that i fell in love with (i want my shower to look like this one). There is also a small window that opens up onto the screened in porch allowing a nice breeze and view during your shower. Eric and i used this shower during our trip as it was convenient for us. There is no bathtub in the cottage but we didn't mind a bit. (NOTE: if you need a hairdryer -- i only used it once briefly -- then bring your own. the smaller one works it just doesn't have much power). It seems like everything in this villa is brand new also.

There is a loft on the main level which has a cute cottage decorated bed with a circulating fan and mosquito net (we never needed it). The bed sits in front of a window that supplies a cool breeze throughout the night. Bob recommended we sleep up there one night and we wish we would have found this place sooner. so nice. The sunset view from this loft is incredible. you can stay in bed and enjoy natures beauty. we loved it.

The main floor is open to the screened in porch and the heat never got bad at all. there is a wonderful breeze that flows throughout the cottage with all the windows open. The HUGE screened in porch was definitely our favorite part of the cottage. The view, the breeze, the rainy afternoons, PERFECT. there is a large couch and several chairs on the porch to lounge around in, as well as a dining room table which we never used. This is the place to be...WOW. The next morning we discovered the true to advertised 60 mile view!! you can see down into coral bay, the moravian church, the east end, the british VI, and beyond. The pictures don't do it justice. The sunset and sunrise view from this cottage is to die for. The most spectacular thing i have ever witnessed.

off to the left is another lower deck with an in ground swimming pool. The pool was very clean and surrounded by lush tropical vegitation and flowers. what a serene place to cool off after a long day. There is a washer and dryer stowed away off to the side and there is also a gas grill (we used it a lot) for your use. Overall the place is EXTREMELY private. we couldn't see or be seen by anyone. clothing is very much optional.

Downstairs is a small screened in porch, the master suite with a bathroom, and an outdoor bathroom. To get to the bottom portion of the house you need to go back down the entrance steps and re-enter the house from a seperate entrance. Once you go through the screen door there are two castle looking doors that open up into the master bedroom. The bed is made out of a beautiful teak wood and draped in beautiful white and lime accented linens. Top quality indeed. There is also a teak armoire with a tv on it and a closet. There is a full bath attached to the bedroom which was, like the other bath, FULLY equipped with all the basics. The master bedroom has a window AC also. Eric and i like to be cold at night and this AC unit did the trick.

outside of the master suite there is a screened in porch area with tons of beach stuff. Coolers, loungers, beach chairs, floats, boogie boards, noodles, etc. Eric and i used the cooler everyday and were so thankful we didn't need to buy one to haul around. We used the beach chairs one day but other than that we are simple beach goers. If you needed the equipment however, it is there.

to the right of the master bedroom is an outdoor bathroom with an enclosed shower. Like i said, it was more convenient for us to use the upstairs shower so we never used this bath. it was neat to see the lizards perched up on the ledge though. They were so cute. We saw several every day near the entrance of the master suite. Harmless. They were more scared of us than anything. So tiny and green.

The road up to the cottage is quite the adventure. Bordeaux MTN is unfinished after a certain point and 4 wheel drive is necessary. our jeep was perfect and we had no problems. we loved our adventurous off roading everyday. i even ended up driving nearly everyday b/c i loved the adventure. you feel like you are on those jeep commercials driving over mtns. :) i would definitely not let this drive hinder your choice for coconut hill b/c the cottage is well worth it. The off roading is only a few minutes or so anyways. not long at all.

Overall the villa was super clean, well equipped, nicely decorated, and everything we could have ever asked for, wanted, or needed out of a home away from home for a week. Sue and Bob were so insanely helpful and willing to answer any and all questions. They were out of sight, out of mind unless we needed them. When we did need them, they were there in a second and willingly gave up there time to help us out with anything. Sue recommended beaches, Bob planned out a hiking trail with a map that we had requested info on (The Johnny Horn is quite the adventure but well worth it), They recommended restaurants (Asolare has a beautiful deck and fun cuisine), Snorkel spots (Bob recommended Francis Bay and my trip was complete with a TURTLE SPOTTING). overall they helped us out with directions to and from EVERYWHERE. I could not imagine anyone else so sweet and helpful on island.

I give this cottage ten stars and plan to revisit in the future. if you would like further information or have any additional questions feel free to msg me. You can find coconut hill through www.vrbo.com listing number 115186. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

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